A Marauder Christmas
by MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: Christmas-themed Marauder one-shots. Updated every Christmas Eve/Christmas. First: James takes Marauder Christmas traditions very seriously. Second: Sirius and Harry decorate the Potters' Christmas tree.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, y'all! Merry/Happy Christmas! So, guys, this is a Christmas special. Every year I'll stick another Christmas one-shot or two in here. I'll keep the status on "Complete" so people don't expect me to update weekly or anything. Hope you guys like it!**

 **This first one takes place in the Marauders' 6th year. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Those rights go to J.K. Rowling.**

 **A Marauder Christmas**

 **James Potter and the Epic Snowball Fight of 1976**

James Potter stared forlornly out the window of Gryffindor Tower. He sighed. THen sighed again. And again. And-

"Alright, Prongs, fine! I'll bite. What's the matter?" a very testy werewolf by the name Remus Lupin asked irritatedly.

James frowned. "It's not snowing."

Remus' right eyebrow met his hairline. "So?"

"What do you mean, so? It's Christmas Eve! If it doesn't snow tonight, then we won't be able to do the Annual Marauder Snowball War Where No Mercy Is Shown! Better known as the AMSWWNMIS."

Remus rolled his eyes. "We never should have let Sirius pick the name."

James shrugged. "Learn from your mistakes, right? Anyway, I want to punish the other Houses by sending snow in their faces, Moony. And I can't do that if there's no frozen precipitation."

Remus rolled his eyes again. "Calm down, Prongs. I'm sure it will snow tonight. And even if it doesn't, I promise that you'll still get your AMSWWNMIS."

James flopped into an armchair. "If you say so."

* * *

The next morning, James was awoken by a great, slimy, _disgusting_ tongue.

"EURGH!" James shrieked. "PADFOOT! I told you to stop _doing_ that."

Sirius transformed back with a grin. "But it's so _fun_."

Grumbling and glaring, James said, "Go wake up Peter."

Wormtail shot out of bed. "Already up!"

Sirius looked crestfallen. Then he brightened. "I'll get Moony."

He bounded over to Remus' bed, leaning over the sleeping werewolf, transformed, began to lick his friend, when suddenly-

"HEY!" Sirius yelped, flying backwards. "He hexed me!"

Remus sat up, scrubbing at his face. "The motto of Hogwarts may be 'never tickle a sleeping dragon', but the Marauder motto should be 'never lick a sleeping werewolf'."

James and Peter burst out laughing while Sirius assessed the damage. "Green hair, Moony," he wailed. "If you were going to change it to Christmas colors, you could have done red."

Remus shook his head. "I wouldn't have gotten the message across that way."

James frowned thoughtfully. "You know, whoever came up with the Christmas color scheme was kind of dumb. Why would you put Gryffindor red and Slytherin green together? It's ridiculous."

Remus sighed. "I'm pretty sure whoever came up with that wasn't thinking about Hogwarts Houses."

Sirius and James shrugged.

Peter cleared his throat. "Guys. Presents!"

James and Sirius ran back to their beds, and Remus followed more slowly, chuckling.

James grabbed a random present from the foot of his bed. He shook it excitedly.

Remus rolled his eyes. "You know, one of these days you're going to open your present only to find you've broken it by shaking the box."

Sirius scoffed, hair still a festive green. "That's what _reparo_ is for, Moony."

Remus shook his head, rolling his eyes once more. James wondered how many times Remus would do that today.

Probably over a million.

James tore open the present, noting that it was from his parents. It was-

"Tickets to the World Cup this summer!" James crowed happily. "Four! You guys coming?"

Sirius looked up excitedly. "Of course I am!"

Remus laughed. "As long as it doesn't interfere with the moon, Prongs."

Peter shrugged. "Sure."

James pointed at Remus and Peter. "Just you wait. Padfoot and I'll make Quidditch fans out of you yet!"

The four of them laughed, and James knew that he never wanted to leave Hogwarts, not if it meant leaving his three best friends. Although, they were more like brothers now.

Sirius didn't receive a present from his parents, but he didn't seem to mind, because James' parents had sent him the latest pranking supplies. Peter's parents had sent him what looked like half of Honeydukes, and he was happily munching on a chocolate frog. Remus' parents had sent him a slightly battered copy of some advanced Defense Against the Dark Arts book, which made him grin eagerly. James felt a bit bad that they had all gotten such expensive presents from their parents and Remus didn't, but he never seemed to mind. One thing James had learned over the years was that the werewolf didn't need much to satisfy him.

James tore open his gift from Sirius. He laughed when he saw it. "Gee, thanks Padfoot."

Sirius grinned, looking over at James. "Glad you like 'em."

Peter glanced over. "What'd you get?"

James held it up. It was a bright red shirt that read in blinking gold letters 'James Potter, Gryffindor Chaser, Whose Head is Bigger Than the Quaffle'.

Remus and Peter were roaring. James held up the other one. This shirt was gold with blinking red letters, and it said 'James Potter, Gryffindor Seeker, Whose Brain is Smaller Than the Snitch'.

Remus and Peter had doubled over from their laughter, and Sirius grinned wider. "See? So when you play Seeker you can wear that one," He pointed to the gold one. "And when you play Chaser, you can wear the other one!"

James laughed. He had played Chaser up until his 5th year, and then he had switched to Seeker, since the team had been in need of one, and they could only find a competent Chaser. He was more popular as a Seeker, though, but he liked both positions equally. This was his second year playing Seeker, and the team was already doing better than ever before- it was awesome.

James opened his present from Remus next. "Er... mate? I know you said I have a big head, but a mirror?"

Remus looked over. He saw the mirror and grinned.

From his bed, Sirius grinned at his own mirror. "Don't know why you're complaining, Prongs. I got one too! Thanks Moony!" Sirius winked at his reflection. James rolled his eyes.

Remus walked quietly over to James' bed. He gently took the mirror, angling it so it showed James' face. "Watch this," Remus whispered. Clearly but quietly, Remus spoke to the mirror. "Sirius Black."

"ARGH!"

James jumped. Then he began laughing hysterically with Remus and Peter. Sirius' face had appeared in the mirror, and James had no doubt that his face had just appeared in Sirius' mirror, effectively startling him.

"Brilliant, Moony!" James shouted. "That was great."

Sirius grumbled under his breath. Remus just laughed some more and said, "No need to thank me, Prongs. I was just tired of you two complaining when you have separate detentions. Now you can talk to each other. Wormtail helped me find them."

Peter shrugged. "Moony knew exactly what to look for. I just told him where to look."

Sirius grinned. "Either way, these are fantastic, Moony. Thanks."

Remus smiled. "No problem."

Peter received new dragonhide gloves for Herbology from Remus. James gave Remus a few bars of Honeydukes chocolate and a new quill; Sirius had given him a Foe Glass (shrunken for convenience), which Remus totally geeked out over; and Peter gave him a new Potions kit, because as they all knew, Remus liked practical gifts that he could use often.

Peter had given Sirius a new Beaters bat, and Sirius had given Peter the cloak he'd been asking for. James had given Peter a couple bottles of butterbeer, and Peter had given James some of Zonko's finest.

James caught Sirius and Peter's eyes and nodded. It was time.

Sirius and Peter rummaged around in the closet, and James turned to Remus. "Moony, we have one more present for you."

Remus' eyes widened. "But I don't have anything for y-"

James interrupted him. "Moony, it doesn't matter. We just couldn't pass up this opportunity. We bought it together."

Remus bit his lip and nodded, looking nervous. "Alright, then. As long as you didn't spend too much."

James shook his head, amused. Typical Remus. "Close your eyes."

Remus obeyed. James helped Sirius and Peter drag the rather large present over.

"Alright!" said Sirius cheerily. "Open your eyes!"

Remus did. He cocked his head to the side, confused. "It's a trunk. Will it explode if I open it?"

Sirius and James blinked. Peter slapped his forehead. "Ugh! Prongs, Padfoot, it's backwards."

"Oh." said Sirius. "Oops."

They turned it around, and Remus' mouth dropped open. James grinned. The truck said, "Professor R.J. Lupin".

Remus looked like he was having trouble forming words, so Sirius helped him out.

"We bought it because we believe in you Moony, before you ask. You'll get there someday. You'll drive McGonagall up the wall as a teacher instead of a student." Sirius paused. "Do you like it? I mean, that's what you want to be, right? A Defense teacher? Because, if you don't-"

"No!" said Remus hurriedly, finding his voice. He cleared his throat. "It's great, guys. I love it."

"Knew you would," said James briskly. "We're not that stupid."

Remus grinned. "That's debatable."

All in all, it was a great start to the morning.

Bracing himself, James looked out the window. He grinned. "Oh boys..."

THey all turned to him. "Yeah?"

James grinned mischievously. "It's time for AMSWWNMIS."

They blinked. "After breakfast." said Peter.

James sighed. "After breakfast."

* * *

Things were looking bleak for Gryffindor.

James watched grimly as his men were struck down around him. He had to rally the troops. Ravenclaw had gone unnoticed most of the war, only to strike full-force when Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Slytherin had least expected it. The result?

Total chaos and carnage.

"LUPIN!" James bellowed. "Give the west side more ammunition!"

Remus nodded determinedly. "On it!"

Since their aim was lousy, Remus and Peter kept the front-fighters supplied with snowballs. James always led Gryffindor's troops, and Sirius was always his second-in-command.

Hufflepuff should have been easy to crush, but James was currently distracted by Ravenclaw. Their offence was strong, and he was struggling to counter it.

But, by Godric Gryffindor, counter it he would.

Sirius ran up to James. "We need a new strategy!" he yelled over the din of the battle. "Ravenclaw's too strong."

James grit his teeth. "I know. But we have to hold firm! Hufflepuff's close to surrendering, half their forces ran inside a few minutes ago-"

"Which is why," Remus said, running up. "They formed an alliance with Ravenclaw!"

"WHAT?!" yelped James and Sirius.

Remus nodded grimly. "We don't stand a chance. Our men and women will fight to the last person, but if Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are working together, their numbers will simply be too great."

Sirius looked aghast. "Are you saying that there's no chance of a Gryffindor victory? No hope for survival?"

"What do we do?" wailed Marlene McKinnon. "We elected you Captain, Potter! So lead!"

The people nearby were all shouting at him to decide what to do, but James couldn't see how the war could be won. All he knew was that they'd never surrender, even if it meant an embarrassing defeat. It just wasn't the Gryffindor way.

"SHUT UP!"

They all turned to see Lily Evans, face red from the cold, glaring at everyone with her hands on her hips. James thought she had never looked so beautiful.

"You're right, McKinnon!" she yelled. "We did elect Potter Captain! So be quiet so he can come to a decision, because _no one_ can think properly under that kind of pressure!"

Oh Merlin, he loved her.

They all fell silent and looked at James, who was thinking furiously. He turned to Remus. "Is there really no hope?"

Remus crossed his arms. "There is _always_ hope." He took a deep breath. "Hufflepuff formed an alliance with Ravenclaw. The only way we can win this is if we form our own alliance- with Slytherin."

Immediately, shouts broke out, Sirius' the loudest of all, about how Gryffindor would _never_ ally itself with the likes of _Slytherin_.

"Think about it!" Remus shouted helplessly. "If we-"

"LET THE MAN SPEAK!" James screamed. Everyone quieted down. "Thank you. Remus, continue."

Remus swallowed. James knew that he didn't like to be the center of attention, especially _negative_ attention, but they were at war. He could make it up to Remus later, if they survived this.

"Prongs," said Sirius exasperatedly. "You can't seriously be considering this."

Ignoring the golden opportunity for everyone's least favorite pun, James answered. "Yes, I can, Padfoot. Remus. Go."

Remus straightened his spine. "Ravenclaw's alliance with Hufflepuff was formed with one common goal in mind: winning this war by taking down Gryffindor and Slytherin. Separately, both of us will fall- their numbers are too big. But, as James pointed out a few minutes ago, half of Hufflepuff retreated a while ago. That means, should we form an alliance with Slytherin, we'd already have more manpower than the opposing side. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff would be caught unawares, because, come on- who'd expect Gryffindor to ally with Slytherin? And, as much as we may hate to admit it, Slytherin has a great defense, while we're better at offense. Together, we'd be an unstoppable team."

Silence. Then-

"Let's do it," James decided. "Remus, you'll go negotiate, since you're the best at that sort of thing. Sirius, you and I will go with him for protection. Everyone else, back to your positions!"

They all scrambled, and three of the Marauders set off to attempt an alliance with Slytherin.

* * *

"GRYFFINDOR INVADERS!"

"NO!" Remus bellowed. "WE COME IN PEACE! WE'D LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR LEADER!"

The Slytherins kept their snowballs at their sides, but they didn't let them go. James and Sirius followed a very confident Remus into the heart of the Slytherin forces.

The crowd of Slytherins parted, so the three Gryffindors could see their Captain. They all gasped.

" _Regulus?"_ groaned Sirius. "You've got to be kidding me."

Regulus Black scowled, managing to look both remarkably _like_ Sirius and _unlike_ him at the same time. "Sirius. What do you want?"

Remus stepped forward. "We'd like to propose an alliance."

Regulus stared at him. Then he burst out laughing. " _Us?_ Form an alliance with _you?_ Why would we do that?"

Remus squared his shoulders. "Alone, both Gryffindor and Slytherin will get crushed by Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff's alliance. Together, we can defeat them. With your defense and our offense, they won't stand a chance."

Regulus crossed his arms. "You're forgetting one thing. While you Gryffindors seem to think that this annual snowball fight is the difference between death and survival, we Slytherins see it as it is- a glorified snowball fight."

Sirius looked scandalized. James looked as though he were about to be sick. The other Slytherins looked as though they disagreed with the young Black, but were unwilling to stand up against him. Remus looked calm.

"I didn't forget that, actually." Remus adjusted the collar of his cloak. "If you help us defeat Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, both our Houses get the glory, _and_ ," Remus smirked, still focusing on his collar. "Slytherin gets a prank-free rest of Christmas break."

Excited whispers broke out amongst the Slytherin ranks. Sirius and James looked gobsmacked. Regulus' eyes narrowed.

"Moony!" complained Sirius. "This isn't worth sucking the fun out of our holiday!"

Remus cast him a warning glance. "Padfoot, we can still prank others. We just can't target the Slytherins without cause." He turned back to Regulus. "If any of your men insult Muggleborns, or make a jibe at someone, or hex without reason, the deal's off. But, if you Slytherins can keep your snide comments to yourselves for the rest of break, the four of us will keep our Dungbombs to ourselves. If you alliance yourself with Gryffindor. Do we have a deal?"

James and Sirius held their breath. Regulus pursed his lips, thinking. Then his gray eyes met Remus' amber ones. He shook Remus' hand. "Deal."

Remus grinned. "You can attack with us once we give the signal."

Regulus cocked his head to the side. "What's the signal, Lupin?"

The three Gryffindors glanced at each other. "Er," said Sirius. "Just look for a bunch of charging Gryffindors."

Regulus grinned. "Got it. Slytherin's got your back."

Sirius shook his head. "Never thought I'd hear that."

Regulus cocked an eyebrow. "I never thought I'd hear a Gryffindor ask Slytherin for help."

Sirius pouted. "It wasn't my idea."

Regulus smirked. "Didn't think so."

James cleared his throat. "While this truly is a Christmas miracle and I hate to interrupt, we have a war to win."

Sirius agreed. "Yeah." He glanced at his brother. "Meet me by the library once this is over. To further discuss the terms of our agreement."

James knew that Regulus hadn't misunderstood Sirius' true meaning. "Sure. Now go so we can get this over with. My toes are frozen."

Sirius let out his bark-like laughter and began dragging his friends out of Slytherin territory.

* * *

James had just finished filling in what had happened to the frostbitten Gryffindors. "Now; cease fire."

They obeyed, and the snowballs pelting towards them stopped. The opposing force obviously thought that they were preparing to surrender. The snowballs from the Slytherins had also halted.

"Hold," James called. " _Hold_. Ready, and... CHARGE!"

As one, the Gryffindors let out a mighty battle cry and stormed Ravenclaw territory. By the sound of it, Slytherin had joined in. Ravenclaw and what was left of Hufflepuff frantically tried to stop their adversary, but it was no use. With renewed energy and the combined efforts of the two most persevering Houses in Hogwarts, Gryffindor and Slytherin easily destroyed Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff until they had no choice but to surrender.

Grinning from ear to ear as the missiles flew around him, James bellowed, "Witches and wizards of Hogwarts! The winners of the 6th Annual Marauder Snowball War Where No Mercy Is Shown, or the AMSWWNMIS- blame Sirius Black for the name- are the GRYFFINDOR and SLYTHERIN!"

There were cheers from both Houses, and the Hogwarts students went happily inside, recounting the day's events to those who had missed them.

James walked with his friends. "That was the best AMSWWNMIS we've ever had."

Peter grinned, cheeks and nose red from the cold. "Yeah. Definitely."

Remus shook his head. "It should have been 'Annual Marauder Snowball War _In Which_ No Mercy Is Shown'."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I was a first year, Moony. Forgive my grammatical errors."

The four boys laughed. Sirius went off to find his brother, and the others headed to dinner.

About an hour later, the Marauders could be found in their dormitory, playing Exploding Snap. They had brought up gingerbread and hot chocolate up from the kitchens, and were happily snacking on them after James won the fifth round.

Remus took a large sip of his hot chocolate, some of the whipped cream sticking to his lip. He licked it off. "This is my favorite Christmas yet."

Sirius laughed. "You say that every year, Moony."

Remus looked him in the eye. "And every year I mean it."

James raised his mug of hot chocolate. "I hear you, Moony. Cheers to the best Marauder Christmas yet!"

Sirius, Remus, and Peter all raised their mugs. "Cheers!"

They all drank.

* * *

That night, James glanced once more out the window before falling asleep. The snow was falling again, and, as Peter's snores filled the air, in perfect harmony with Sirius' heavy breathing and Remus' page turning, James couldn't have felt more content.

A Marauder Christmas, indeed.

And the next one would be even better.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, y'all! Merry/Happy Christmas! This is the second Christmas one-shot. There probably won't be any more chapters until next year, unless I'm bored or have writer's block for one of my stories. Happy Holidays!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **A Marauder Christmas**

 **Sirius Black and the Potters' Christmas Tree**

"Are you sure you'll be ok, Sirius?" Lily Potter asked him, her green eyes worried as she twirled dark red hair around her left index finger. "I mean, Harry's still tiny, and I just don't want you to, well..."

Sirius grinned. "Drop him?"

Lily huffed. "I don't think you're going to _drop_ my son. I'm afraid that you'll, you know, set fire to the kitchen trying to bake cookies, or something."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Please, Ev- Mrs. Potter. I don't _bake_. That would never happen."

Lily laughed. "Black, as much as I love you, I'd really feel better if someone was here with you. Like Remus. Even Peter."

Sirius shook his head, his long black hair swaying with him. "Remus is still recovering from the full moon, and Peter's at work. You and James go have fun. Harry will be fine." He lowered his voice, so he sounded as sincere as he felt. "Besides, I love him too much to let anything happen to him."

Lily's eyes softened. She smiled happily up at him. "You're right. I know you love him." She hugged her former school rival. "I'm glad we made the right choice and made you godfather."

Sirius hugged her back, touched by her words. He often felt as though he wasn't the right choice for godfather, but James and Lily always reminded him that his unlimited love for their son made up for any mistakes he might make along the way.

James came into the entranceway. "Here he is!" he said proudly. "He's all ready for Uncle Padfoot."

Harry gurgled happily. The five-month-old looked at Sirius with wise green eyes, and Sirius was filled with overwhelming love for the baby in front of him.

"Hey, Prongslet! Did you miss your old Uncle Padfoot?" Sirius asked, taking Harry from James.

Lily rolled her eyes. "That's such a ridiculous name. _Prongslet_. He'll hate you for it when he's fifteen."

James laughed. "Yeah, but he's got fifteen years until that happens, love. Padfoot likes to live in the present. So for now, Harry's Prongslet."

Lily shook her head. "You two. I suppose it's true what they say: marry one Marauder, and you marry all of them."

James shrugged. "I _did_ warn you. But you said yes anyway."

Sirius cleared his throat. "I do believe that Mr. and Mrs. Potter have a dinner date to get to this marvelous Christmas Eve. And I do believe that I have a dinner date with Prongslet here. So, if you two would let us get to that, it would be greatly appreciated."

James and Lily laughed. "Fine!" James chuckled. "Forcing us out into the cold, are you? And to think that I'm trusting you with my son."

"Shoo!" Sirius swatted his friend on the arm with Harry's jacket, which had been hanging on a hook beside him. "Out! Go do disgusting couple-y stuff."

James stuck his tongue out at the dog Animagus. "With pleasure. C'mon, Lilyflower. We have a date."

Lily smiled warmly at her husband, somehow tolerating the pet name. "Don't corrupt my son, Sirius. We'll be back in three hours. Alright?"

Sirius held Harry against his chest, and moved his tiny hand in a waving motion. "Got it. Harry says goodbye."

Lily beamed at her son. She kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye, Harry. Mummy loves you." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Sirius on the cheek. "Thank you so much, Sirius. This means so much to me. Happy Christmas!"

Sirius kissed her cheek. "Happy Christmas. Now _go_."

James clapped his friend on the shoulder. "I'm not going to kiss you, but Happy Christmas."

Sirius pouted. "Aww, but _Jamie_." He laughed, unable to keep up the pretense. "Fine. Bye, Prongs. Happy Christmas."

The Potters waved goodbye, and walked out into the snow, shutting the door behind them.

Sirius sighed, then looked down at Harry. "Ready, little guy? Uncle Padfoot's gonna make this the best Christmas Eve ever!"

Harry giggled.

Sirius took him into the living room, and looked around. Now that they were alone, he had no idea what to do.

"Kind of boring in here, huh?" Sirius asked Harry. "Not a whole lot of Christmas decorations in here. And yeah, I get it, you could eat one and choke to death, but it's your first Christmas! You should have a tree, at least." He brightened. "That's what we'll do! We'll even get it- and decorate it- the Muggle way. C'mon, Harry!"

Sirius carried his godson into the nursery, where he began to bundle little Harry up. He even remembered that Lily didn't like it when Harry went outside without a hat, and made sure to stick one on.

After he had dressed Harry appropriately, Sirius stepped back to admire his handiwork. Harry was dressed in a tiny sweater that Lily thought was adorable (Gryffindor red, of course), little brown shoes, and a green woolen hat.

Sirius kept a hand on Harry's back to support him as he crouched down and said, "You're looking mighty festive."

Harry giggled and clapped his hands together.

"Right then," said Sirius excitedly. "Let's go."

He picked Harry up, and, using the baby carrier James had bought, he strapped Harry to his chest. He decided not to take the bike (Lily would kill him) and he couldn't Apparate with Harry unless it was an emergency, so he rode James' broom as close as he could to the nearest Muggle village. He shrunk James' broom and stuck it in his pocket, and set off in search of a tree.

He and Harry walked for what felt like hours, but in reality was probably only thirty minutes. Finally, Sirius found a place was was still open, and he and Harry bought a small Christmas tree. He Confunded the dealer (after he had paid) so he wouldn't know that Sirius had shrunk the tree.

SIrius and Harry walked around town for a bit, attracting lots of women ("Aww... He's so cute! Is he yours?") and taking in the cheerful atmosphere.

When Harry's hands turned red from the cold, Sirius flew them back home. He gently tugged the hat off of Harry's head, and gave him a warm bottle to drink. Harry sipped it happily, and Sirius looked lovingly down at him. He placed Harry in his highchair and then dragged it over so Harry could watch him put up the tree.

He returned the tree (and James' broom) to its natural size, and debated on how best to make the tree stand on its own. He tried propping it up against the wall. He only just caught it before it squashed Harry. He tried moving the furniture on either side of it, but it quickly became apparent that that wouldn't work, either.

Giving up, Sirius held it up with a useful charm. There. Good enough.

He turned to Harry, still in his highchair. A putrid smell reached Sirius, and he wrinkled his nose as Harry giggled.

Great.

He took Harry into the nursery to change his nappy. He tried to remember how to put it on. Did the sticky flaps go in the back? Yes. They did. Remus had said so... but did that mean they started in the front and wrapped around to the back, or did they start in the back and reach around to the front?

After a few minutes of debate, Sirius stuck his head in the Floo to ask Remus. He felt bad for bothering his friend when he was recovering from the full moon, but it had to be done. Remus was a bit annoyed with him for bothering him, but it turned out that the sticky bits started in the back, and reached around to the front. Excellent.

Sirius finished changing his godson, then took him back into the living room.

Now, back to the tree.

James and Lily hadn't any ornaments or decorations- it _was_ the middle of a war. Still, Sirius wanted to make this a Christmas Harry would always remember- even if he knew it was impossible for Harry to remember something that happened so early in his life.

Sirius huffed. Muggle way, he wanted to do this the Muggle way. Erm. Tinsel. Muggles put tinsel on their trees.

But tinsel was _silver_.

There would be no Slytherin colors on _this_ Christmas tree.

Golden tinsel. Nice and Gryffindor-ish. Perfect.

He let it burst forth from his wand, causing Harry to squeal and clap his hands excitedly. Sirius grinned at him and began wrapping the tinsel messily around the tree. He stood back to admire his handiwork. The spacing wasn't even, and the tree was slightly crooked, but Sirius saw nothing but perfection.

Sirius plucked Harry out of his highchair, settling him on his hip. "What else do we need, Harry?" he asked. "Lights? Aren't there lights on Christmas trees? I could hover candles around it. How's that sound?"

Harry giggled, so Sirius summoned some candles and lit them, making them hover around the tree, ensuring that the branches wouldn't catch fire. Sirius smiled. This was working.

Now. Other decorations.

Hmm.

"What do you think, Harry? You're dad likes Quidditch. You're probably going to like Quidditch. How about..."

Sirius found a few paperclips and transfigured them into tiny Quaffles. He hung a few on the tree, carefully keeping his hair away from the candle flames.

Not bad.

But it could be better.

He transfigured more paperclips into little Bludgers, then charmed them to zoom around the tree. Then he added a few Snitches, which looked like thin golden blurs.

Sirius grinned. James would love it.

But now he needed something for Lily.

Sirius waved his wand, and dozens of lily petals floated down onto the tree, draping themselves delicately onto the branches. He added magical snow, which wouldn't melt. There.

Sirius blew the hair out of his eyes. Something for Harry. Harry liked... when James made those colorful smoke clouds errupt from his wand. Sirius conjured up a few of those, and made them hover within the tree branches.

He took a step back. It was easily the oddest thing he had ever seen. Quidditch balls wizzed between the branches, snow and lily petals lay serenely on the tree boughs, and colorful clouds of smoke gave the whole thing a strange sort of rainbow-ish haze. Add the golden tinsel and the floating candles, and you have the brightest, warmest Christmas tree in existence.

But something was missing.

Sirius thought hard for a few minutes, then was interrupted by Harry calling his name.

"Pa'foo! Pa'foo!"

Sirius turned. "Yeah, kiddo?"

Harry waved his hands excitedly, gesturing towards the tree and screeching, "Pa'foo! Pa'foo!"

Padfoot? Padfoot... was his nickname. Lily still called him Sirius. Maybe Harry knew that? But what was special about Sirius? Sirius was...

"The _star!"_ Sirius exclaimed, smacking his head. "Merlin's beard, I'm so stupid. I forgot the blo- er, the star."

He conjured up a very bright star- no, really. It hurt to look directly at it. Harry seemed satisfied, however, and settled down, grinning.

Sirius placed it at the very top of the tree, then crossed his arms in triumph. "That, Prongslet, is what I call a brilliant Christmas tree."

Harry cooed, and Sirius picked him up. "Ready for dinner?"

Harry slapped his tiny palms against Sirius' chest. Sirius laughed. "I'll take that as a yes."

After some mashed carrots (most of which ended up in Sirius and Harry's hair) and a bottle, the two boys heard the door opening.

"Padfoot, we're home!" came James' merry voice. "How'd it go? What- MERLIN'S BEARD!"

Sirius and Harry entered the living room, James still gawking at the tree. Lily came running, wand brandished.

"What's wro- what is _that?"_ she demanded once she saw the tree.

Sirius huffed. "A Christmas tree. Obviously."

Lily blinked. "But... why is there one in here?"

Sirius looked at her incredulously. "It's Harry's first Christmas. I can't believe you went this long _without_ one. It's inexcusable."

James started to chuckle. His laughter grew louder, until he was roaring, which set Harry off. Sirius began barking out his own laughter, and Lily's lips twitched. Pretty soon, the whole family was doubled over.

James was the first to stop. Wiping at his eyes, he gently took his son from his best friend. "I like the tree," he finally said. "It's very Marauderish."

Sirius grinned. "Harry helped. Look, it's got Quidditch for you," he pointed to the balls whizzing about. "It has lily petals for Lily, and that colored-smoke thing Harry loves so much for our little Prongslet. And I'm the star, of course."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Of course. Was Harry well-behaved?"

Sirius nodded. "Well. Except for when he threw carrots in my hair. I haven't looked yet. Is it terrible?"

Lily smiled and shook her head. "It makes you look like a good godfather."

Sirius brightened. "You really think so?"

Lily nodded, beaming. "You're the best, Sirius. How many godfathers would do this," she gestured to the tree. "Just because they love their godson? You truly are amazing."

James grinned. "Only the best for our son."

Sirius blew the hair out of his eyes. "Only the best for me, you mean. Harry's the greatest kid to grace the earth."

Lily stood on her tiptoes and kissed Sirius' cheek. "Congratulations. You successfully took care of a child by yourself."

Sirius considered. "Well, I did ask Moony how to change the nappy. But other than that, I did."

Lily's eyes widened. "Sirius! The whole point of this was to let Remus rest."

James put a hand on her shoulder. "Aww, Lily, it's alright. It's just a nappy. Moony probably didn't mind."

Lily pursed her lips. "Still. Maybe we should give him an extra bar of chocolate tomorrow?"

James grinned. "He'll be really glad Sirius bothered him now. Thanks for watching Harry, Padfoot. And the tree... it's really something."

Sirius looked fondly at his godson. "No trouble, mate. Harry really is the best kid ever. Makes me want another." He looked at Lily hopefully.

Lily glared at him. "Not for a long while."

Sirius sighed. Then he brightened, looking at James. "You think Moony will have one any time soon?"

James laughed. "Who knows? You can never tell with Moony."

Sirius had to agree. "I suppose you're right."

Lily hugged Sirius, who returned it. "I love the tree."

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Harry and I worked way too hard on it for you to pitch it now."

They all laughed merrily, before falling quiet once more. They all looked fondly at one another, wrapped up in their love for each other. The Christmas tree glowed welcomingly.

James, Lily, Harry, and Sirius all stood silently for a moment, admiring the tree. That moment was perfect. It was magical.

It was turning out to be a promising Christmas, indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey y'all! Merry/Happy Christmas (and if you don't celebrate, Happy Holidays)! A shout out to WitherFire who reminded me to hurry up and finish this one XD Also, thank you for your lovely review—I can't remember if I ever replied to it.**

 **I have many headcanons, some of which contradict each other, but this story follows the one where James and Sirius befriended Remus and Peter later into their first year. :)**

 **Also—this is unbeta'd. I apologize. You can PM me if I need to correct anything :)**

 **Word Count: 1185**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.**

 **Enjoy!**

When Remus Lupin woke up on Christmas morning, he was pleasantly surprised to see a small parcel sitting on the end of his bed. He grinned widely, the curtains around his bed still drawn. He could hear his dorm mates excitedly tearing into their own gifts, but he paid them no mind; he mostly left them alone, and they did the same. James Potter and Sirius Black seemed nice enough, but Remus immediately identified them as extremely clever. With a secret as big as his own, those weren't the sort of people he wanted to live with.

His light brown hair was still mussed from the way he'd laid on his pillow, and he ran his scarred hands through it. He stretched a bit, then grabbed his present.

Due to his condition, Remus' parents were constantly packing up and moving from town to town, never staying in one place long enough for anyone to figure out the reason for his disappearances. Because of this, his parents didn't normally have a lot of money left over for Christmas presents. Remus didn't mind; he knew that there were many people in his position who were much less fortunate.

Even at eleven, he realized some of the cold truths of the world.

He tore the paper off slowly, then grinned at what he saw—a set of three Defense Against the Dark Arts books. It was his favorite subject, most likely inspired by his father, and he couldn't wait to go through them.

There was a rustling outside his bed, and then he heard a soft voice say, "Remus? Are you awake?"

Remus pulled back the curtains slightly in answer, revealing a nervous-looking Peter Pettigrew. He smiled at the blond-haired boy—he and Peter partnered in Potions, which was the subject Remus had the most trouble in. Peter excelled in it, and Remus helped him with Defense in return. They had grown slightly closer than just roommates, Remus knew, but he wasn't sure how to describe what Peter was to him. An acquaintance? He hesitated to call him a friend. Friends were messy, and they noticed when you left for one night each month and came back bloody.

"Hullo, Peter. Happy Christmas."

Peter smiled warmly, some of the nerves leaving his watery blue eyes. He didn't say anything about Remus' meager Christmas haul, for which he was grateful. Peter had a certain sensitivity when it came to people that not many had, which was one of the reasons Remus liked him so much.

"Happy Christmas, Remus! I, er, wanted to thank you for your help this year, so I wrote my mum and she sent these."

From behind his back, Peter produced a clumsily wrapped red box. Amber eyes wide, Remus took it gently and pulled the paper apart. Inside was a large assortment of Honeydukes' chocolate, which Remus had once mentioned loving. He looked up at Peter guiltily.

"Peter, this is amazing, but I—I didn't…" He trailed off, shame burning through him.

Understanding dawned on Peter's face. "Oh, Remus, that's okay. I don't like a lot of gifts anyway—I lose them too often." He laughed, easing the tension between them. Remus smiled and nodded.

"Thanks, Peter," he murmured sincerely. "This is really nice of you."

Peter grinned and nodded. After an awkward moment, he motioned over his shoulder at James and Sirius, who were having a pillow fight, completely oblivious to the other two boys. "They're mental, aren't they?"

Remus burst out laughing. "Oh Merlin, yes."

Peter sighed. "They're lucky, though. I bet none of the Slytherins bother them."

Remus nodded grimly. The first time he'd interacted with the other boy was when Peter had been tormented by some Slytherins. Remus had stepped in, and the two had been friendly ever since. But it was true—James and Sirius had been mostly untouched by the bullies in their year.

The other boy sighed. "I wish sometimes that…" He seemed to remember Remus and flushed furiously. "Never mind," he mumbled.

Remus tilted his head to the side. "What?"

Peter looked embarrassed. "Just that… well, everyone likes them, don't they?"

Remus looked up sharply. He felt a small rush of excitement—he hadn't realized that he was the only one jealous of the other boys' popularity. "Yeah, no, I understand Peter," he told him. "I guess they're just the type who approach people, aren't they? We're not that forward."

"No," Peter agreed, relieved that someone had voiced it other than him. "But we're still… I mean…"

It was clear, suddenly, what Peter was trying to ask. _Could people like me like they like James and Sirius?_

"I like you loads, Peter," Remus promised. "Better then them; you don't stay up until midnight."

Peter's grin spread wider than Remus had ever seen it. "Thanks, Remus." He paused. "You're a good mate. Thanks."

Maybe he should have felt a thrill of fear; maybe he should have avoided Peter after that, to convince him that they couldn't be mates. But the words made him happy, and for the first time, Remus considered what his time at Hogwarts could be like with a close friend at his side. The possibilities seemed much brighter.

He opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by Sirius' indignant shout.

"You said it was impossible!"

They heard James laugh. "No, I said it was impossible without me. Now come on, Black! Those Slytherins won't know what hit them."

They hurried out of the dorm, leaving colorful paper littered all over the floor and their night clothes strewn carelessly over their beds.

Peter groaned. "Great. McGonagall's going to have a shouting match with the table at dinner. I dunno how she hasn't figured out it's always them. I was looking forward to pudding, too."

He sounded so glum that Remus felt bad. Sirius and James hadn't been on many pranking sprees, but Gryffindor always seemed to be punished collectively—the House could be narrowed down, but not the student. Remus suspected that they didn't believe first years to be capable of the sort of things James and Sirius cooked up.

"Well," he began slowly, "we could always get some early pudding in the kitchens. The house elves love to give away food."

Peter looked at him with wide eyes. "You know where the kitchens are?"

Remus nodded quickly, throwing the duvet off of himself. "Yeah, I do! I've been dying for some hot chocolate, anyway. Let me get dressed and I can show you."

He gathered up his things and headed towards the bathroom, but Peter stopped him.

"Remus—I just wanted to say thanks."

Remus beamed. "Yeah, of course Peter! And, erm, you're a great mate too."

As he walked away, he thought of how amazing it was to be able to say such a thing. Having Peter around might be a lot of fun. It would certainly be a nice change.

Before he left the dorm, he popped one of the chocolates Peter had given him into his mouth, humming delightedly at the taste.

Snow was falling outside, but Remus' heart was full of more warmth than it had ever been before.

 **A/N: Hogwarts prompts:**

 **Writing Club:**

 **Character Appreciation: 2. (trait) friendly**

 **Disney Challenge: Dialogue 6. "You said it was impossible!" / "No, I said it was impossible without me."**

 **Showtime: 24. I Should Tell You — (emotion) nervous**

 **Lyric Alley: 3. On the 25th day of the 12th month**


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